When Jill and I traveled a few years ago with Rabbi Rubinstein and a wonderful group of congregants to Belarus and Russia, our focus was on the rebirth of Progressive Judaism in the former Soviet Union. Many of us were particularly struck by what was happening in Minsk, Belarus.
Led by an incredible leader, Rabbi Grisha Abramovitz (the only Reform Rabbi in all of Belarus), Jews of many generations were beginning to experience their Jewish faith and traditions for the first time. We prayed with the small but vibrant congregation in Minsk in their third floor “sanctuary” in an office building which was poorly constructed during the Stalin era. We sat and spoke with these wonderful people who have chosen to express their Judaism without adequate facilities, books and clergy support. One could not be anything but deeply moved.
And two of Central’s congregants who were on the trip returned from our journey and decided that they, and Central Synagogue, should do more to support Jewish life in Belarus. With assistance from Rabbi Rubinstein, they have generously provided funds to create and to operate a summer camp for pre-teenagers. The camp has been in operation for a few years and continues to flourish. In 2006, Central Synagogue welcomed a group of young adults from the FSU for a week. For the past two years, participants from the trip to the FSU have funded the costs for teachers from our Religious School to travel to Minsk, to serve as counselors at the camp for Jewish youth. We recently heard a presentation from three teachers (Lena Eson, Aly Gerber and Ari Goldman) who were in Belarus last summer. Their descriptions, pictures and words vividly expressed the importance of their efforts to give of themselves to the children who were, for the first time in their lives, immersed in a truly Jewish experience.
We at Central Synagogue should be proud of the donors and teachers for furthering the rebirth of Judaism in the FSU.
